Birthday on a Rainy Saturday
by MaggieBWriter
Summary: Continuation of Alone on a Rainy Saturday. Are Harm and Mac ready for the new addition to their family? Especially one that's coming in the middle of a hurricane?
1. A Storm's Brewing

**A/N: When I originally posted a one-shot named Alone on a Rainy Saturday, someone requested a continuation. I spent some time working on one and then hit a roadblock. I've started working on it again and this will be more than a one-shot, I think, but I'm not sure how long. Here is part one of what I have so far. I hope you enjoy.**

A late September storm was brewing outside. Not just your everyday, run-of-the-mill rainstorm either. The clouds were completely gray and blocking out any sign of the sun that had been there two days ago. The winds were beginning to blow so that trees and grasses were bowing in its wake. The rain had not started yet, but from the smell in the air, it was not far off. They had been anticipating this storm for most of the week but not to the strength with which it was coming ashore. Plain and simply put, it was hurricane, category 1, but still a hurricane. The forecasters had said it would most likely come ashore in the Carolinas, but they had missed by a few hundred miles and now it was coming up the Virginia coastline headed straight for the Washington D.C. area.

As predicted, many pregnant women who were close to their due dates were admitted to the local hospitals just to be safe. Hurricanes always seemed to bring an increase in early births due to the change in barometric pressure.

She was a no-nonsense, fear nothing Marine. She had withstood the pain of bullet wounds. She had thought nothing of a knife wound. Broken bones and dislocated joints were nothing to her. This pain, however, was like nothing she had ever felt before. Tears coursed down her cheeks as her muscles tightened again in another strong contraction.

"Make it stop!" she screamed grabbing his hand as she fought to breathe through the pain.

"You can do it Marine," he reassured her in a quiet voice next to her ear while he continued to hold her hand. "You're my Ninja-girl. You can do anything," he whispered for her ear only.

"No, I can't! I don't want to do this anymore!" she screamed again. After a minute, the pain passed and she relaxed her grip on his hand and took a deep breath. "Harm, I don't think I can take much more of this," she finally admitted.

"Sarah, we can do whatever you want," Harm reassured her again. "If you want the epidural, we can still do it."

She bit her lip as she considered his words thoughtfully. He knew she was finally considering this as an option since in the hours before now she had adamantly refused any kind of drugs.

"Mrs. Rabb, if I may," the nurse in the room spoke up. "An epidural will not harm the baby in any way. It will just help you deal with the pain, and it may make the whole experience a little more endurable. Afterwards, there will be some numbness in your legs that will wear off fairly quickly, but other than that, you shouldn't have any major side effects. There is also no need to fear any other issues like you might have with other pain medicines."

It was almost as if the nurse knew what her issues with the epidural might be. She seemed to understand that Mac didn't want to take the drugs because of her past addiction experiences. Mac nodded her head in acceptance of what the nurse, Amy, was telling her. "First, please call me Mac, and second, how much longer do I have to make the decision?" she asked quietly.

"As long as you want," Amy assured her. "The longer you wait, though, the more uncomfortable the spinal epidural will be as you have to bend over for the anesthesiologist to administer the IV. As the baby drops further into the birth canal, bending over will get harder to do. Why don't you and your husband talk about it for a few minutes while I go take care of a few things. I'll be back shortly, and you can let me know what your decision is." Amy left the couple to discuss this situation and closed the door behind her.

Mac lay back against the pillows behind her as she digested what Amy had told them. She was only given another minute or two before another contraction took over her body and her thinking. Harm grabbed her hand and allowed her to squeeze as tight as she needed as she attempted to breathe through the contraction. After a minute, it subsided, and she took another deep cleansing breath. "That one wasn't so bad," she admitted as she attempted to relax her body and her mind.

"That's good," Harm blew out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He continued to lightly hold her hand as he reached for a wet washcloth with his other hand. He carefully wiped her forehead and cheeks with the cloth in an attempt to cool her off and soothe her flushed face. "Did you ever think we'd get here?" he asked quietly still stroking her face.

"I don't think I did," she admitted smiling up at him as she lay back on the pillows again. "I'm glad we did, though. I feel so blessed right now despite the pain," she laughed lightly.

Harm smiled in agreement and gently squeezed her hand to acknowledge how she felt. He watched her carefully and glanced at the monitors expecting another contraction to start any time. The baby, though, decided to take a break and let them rest for a few minutes.

"Do you think we're ready for this?" Mac suddenly asked breaking into his thoughts.

He smiled again at her as he answered. "I've been ready since the day you told me you were pregnant," he recalled thinking back to the rainy day when he returned from Pensacola.

"Hey, sweetheart," Harm called walking in the door. He was covered in a trench coat that was soaking wet from all the rain. "It seems we have a deluge outside," he laughed.

"Hey, you're home early," she said standing up and walking toward him. She waited until he had removed his cover and coat and placed them on the coat tree before wrapping her arms around him.

"Hmm," he grinned wrapping his arms around her as well. "That's a nice greeting," he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I wrapped up the investigation when the Master Chief admitted the incident was his fault, so I caught the first transport home. I couldn't wait to be with you again, but I didn't want to call and tell you in case something happened. I didn't want to get your hopes up and then have something prevent me from getting here."

"I'm so glad you're home," she said pulling him further in the door toward the couch. "I have something to tell you…"

"Can you give me five minutes to get comfortable and out of this uniform, then I would be glad to hear whatever you have to tell me?" he asked looking toward the stairs.

"Why don't I come up with you, then I can tell you while you change," she suggested.

"I like that idea even better," he said wrapping his arms around her waist again and pulling her close. He slowly lowered his head to hers and captured her lips in a tender kiss. Reluctantly he pulled away and looked into her eyes where he could see the desire building. "Why don't we continue this upstairs?" he suggested reaching down and picking her up gently in his arms.

She nodded her head mutely trying to push down the lump that was forming in her throat. "I missed you," she finally managed to get out in a hushed whisper. Nothing more seemed necessary as she laid her head against his shoulder as he carried her to their bedroom.

He pushed open the door to their room with his foot and continued on to their bed where he gently set her down. He wanted to kiss her more and continue what they started downstairs, but he also wanted to get out of his damp uniform and get more comfortable. Instead of following his initial instincts to kiss her senseless, he turned away and headed for the closet to pick out some dry clothes. He could tell she was disappointed in his choice, but thought he would be able to better satisfy her needs once he was dry and comfortable. "So what was it you had to tell me when I walked through the door?" he asked from the depths of their closet.

"Well, I got a call from Dr. Sawyer while you were gone," she started waiting for him to step out of the closet before she told him everything.

"Did she have new discoveries about your endometriosis?" he asked finally returning to their room dressed in comfortable jeans and a navy blue button up shirt. He walked back over to the bed and sat down beside her.

"Not exactly," she started. "I went in for a check-up because I've been so tired and emotional lately. She called back because the blood tests she did turned up something."

"Okay, so what did they show?" he asked taking a deep breath waiting for the worst.

"They showed that…," she paused for effect, "I'm pregnant." The last part was said so soft that she almost wasn't sure she said it.

Harm wasn't sure either that he heard her right as he turned to face her completely and took her face in his hands. "Did you say what I think you just said?" he asked with a huge grin on his face.

"Yeah," she returned his smile. "I'm pregnant, about 8 weeks along."

"And she's sure about this?" he questioned again.

"She double checked it to be sure," she smiled at him. "Remember New Year's Eve…"

"And day," he added nodding his head and smiling at the memory of spending the entire day in bed together.

"Well, somewhere in there, something took, and here we are," she finished beginning to be unsure of his reaction. "Are you okay with this?" she asked with some trepidation.

"Okay?" he asked. "I'm…I'm…I'm speechless," he finally finished. He continued to smile at her as he again took her face in his hands and moved his face closer to hers. Slowly he brought his lips to hers and placed a gentle kiss on them. "I'm going to be a daddy," he whispered as he pulled back the slightest bit.

She smiled softly at his comment and nodded her head. "Yes, you are," she agreed. She leaned forward into him placing her lips against his this time. She continued to kiss him for a moment or two before pulling back and looking at him. Tears threatened to overflow from his eyes as she gazed at him.

He gazed back at her with love glowing from his eyes despite the threatening tears. Without further thought, he pulled her to his body and began placing kisses all over her face and eyes and moving down to her neck. Suddenly he found himself on top of her as she had pulled him with her as she lay back on the bed. She forcefully fused their lips together trying to convey all her love for him in that one kiss. When the need for air became too great, they pulled apart and struggled to catch their respective breaths. As he looked into her eyes, it seemed to hit Harm all of a sudden as to what she had just told him. Ever so gently, he placed his hand on her abdomen under her shirt and began to stroke the soft skin there. With the gentlest of touches, he replaced his hand with his lips as he placed feather light kisses on the same spots. "Wow," he whispered placing one last kiss on her abdomen before returning to his place beside her. "I love you, Sarah," he whispered before capturing her lips in a fiery passionate kiss. She returned his kisses just as passionately and they spent the rest of the evening showing each other just how much they loved each other.

Harm was pulled out of his reverie by Mac's scream and the pain in his hand as she gripped tightly when another contraction set in. He focused on her briefly and then on the nurse who had just entered the room. She came over and took the washcloth from the bedside table and began to wipe Mac's face gently wiping away tears and sweat. She waited until the contraction had passed before she began any conversation with them.

"So, have you made any decisions about the epidural?" Amy finally asked once the contraction had passed and Mac was comfortable again.

"I think I want to go ahead with it," Mac responded trying to catch her breath again. "That one was pretty bad, and I'm not sure I can take much more of this. How long have we been going?"

Harm looked at her surprised that she couldn't quote the time to him. 'So, there are two things that shake up her time telling ability, me and giving birth,' he thought to himself before he answered. "About five hours," he finally responded.

"What's that smirk about?" she glanced up at him sideways. She knew he liked to lord it over her when she couldn't quote the time at him.

"Nothing," he smiled back at her knowing she knew exactly what the smirk was about. He also knew better than to say anything about it. He didn't want to have one mad Marine on his hands, especially one in labor.

Amy didn't understand what was going on between them, but she could tell that they were teasing each other with just their looks. "One thing you do need to be aware of with the epidural is that there is a chance it could slow your labor some," she finally spoke up remembering the reason she came in the room in the first place. "However, if the doctor feels it has slowed too much she can administer other drugs that would speed it back up."

Mac nodded in acknowledgment and looked up at Harm. "I still want to do it. I don't think I want to be in this much pain any longer."

"Okay," Amy nodded. "I'll go let Dr. Sawyer know and put in the call to the anesthesiologist. He should be here in less than half an hour as long as he has no other emergencies."

"Is Dr. Sawyer here?" Harm suddenly asked.

"She's on her way here but is having some trouble due to the ensuing storm. Is there something you wanted to talk to her about?"

"No, it can wait," Harm assured her and turned back to Mac who seemed to be on the upswing of a contraction.

Within a half hour, the anesthesiologist had stopped by and put in the epidural catheter for Mac. The nurse also had to put in a bladder catheter which Mac hated but knew it was necessary as she would no longer be able to get up due to the effects of the epidural. At that point, as Amy had predicted, her labor seemed to come almost to a halt. She enjoyed the respite from the pain for a time, but soon her anxiety over the baby and a lack of progress took over where the labor pains had left off. After forty-five minutes with no progress and no contractions, Amy decided to call the doctor again and let her know what was going on.

"Well, Dr. Sawyer will be here shortly," Amy told them as she came in the room after making the call. "She wants to check you herself and take a look at where we are now. She's not ruling out a c-section, but I think she would like for you to give birth vaginally for the sake of the baby. It's better for the lungs when the baby is a little early."

Harm and Mac could do nothing but nod in semi-understanding. They heard the words, but they weren't really sure about everything Amy was telling them other than the fact that Dr. Sawyer was coming in to check on her. That alone told them that there could be a problem. Mac decided not to worry, though. She felt internally that it would only add to the problems and stress for the baby.

"By the way," Amy motioned toward the door, "there's a group of people out here waiting for some news about you and the baby. It's okay if they come in and visit but only two at a time," she warned.

Mac turned and looked up at Harm. "Who's out there?" she asked curiously as her eyebrows shot up at the thought.

"Not sure, but I'll go see," he said shrugging his shoulders and walking out the door to find out. Within a moment, he was returning and covering her lower body with the available blanket as the first guests followed him through the door.

Mac looked up and smiled as her closest friends, Harriet and Bud entered the room. "Hi Harriet," she called out when they paused close to the door. "It's okay. You can come on in."

"Hello, Ma'am," she responded stepping a little closer.

"Harriet, I'm in a hospital about to give birth. You can drop the ma'am. It's Mac when we're not in uniform," Mac chastised her.

Harriet laughed and stepped up to the bed as she nodded in agreement. Bud still stayed back closer to the door. This was still somewhat uncharted territory for him. Mac was a friend, but she was still a woman other than his wife in the hospital in labor. Harm walked back to him and carefully encouraged him further into the room by directing him to the other side of the bed where there were a couple of chairs and a type of window seat. He motioned for Bud to take one of the chairs as he dragged the other one closer to Mac's bed for Harriet. The two women were already deep in conversation concerning labor and childbirth. He gently directed Harriet to sit in the chair and then returned to Bud and carefully placed himself in the window seat.

They spent a few minutes talking and catching up with their friends before there was a knock on the door. Mac stopped talking and called for the person to enter. Dr. Sawyer stepped through the door and smiled at her patient and the others in the room.

"Good afternoon, Sarah," she smiled at her patient. "So seems this baby wants to make an early appearance," she commented. "I need to go ahead and check you and see where you are, so if your guests want to step out for a moment, it won't take me long and then they can come back."

Harriet and Bud nodded and quietly stepped out of the room as Harm stood up and returned to Mac's side during the doctor's examination. She only took a few minutes as promised and then made a few notes in Mac's chart.

"Well, you're about 7 centimeters dilated and 100% effaced," she said as she removed the gloves from her hands and washed her hands. "That's pretty good progress, but as the nurse informed me, you haven't changed any since the epidural was administered. That's not really good or bad as long as the baby isn't in danger, and the baby seems fine right now."

"So what does that mean?" asked Harm.

"Well, we have a couple of choices, Captain," the doctor responded giving them both her full attention. "We can just leave things as they are and allow the labor to just progress at its own rate. This could be very short or a lot longer. It's really up to your baby at this point. The other option is to start an IV drip of Pitocin which should cause the contractions to start back up and increase in intensity. The choice is yours, though, at this point. I will say that if there isn't much progress in the next half hour, I will recommend the Pitocin administration. The baby is not in distress and seems to be resting comfortably right now. Maybe you both need a little rest," she smiled seeing how sweaty and uncomfortable Mac seemed to have been earlier.

Honestly, Doc," Mac smiled. "I just really want this baby out. I don't think I really care by what means at this point."

"Mac, why don't we wait the half hour and see if the baby makes some progress," Harm suggested. "If not, then we'll have her administer the Pitocin and go from there."

"Your husband has some sound advice," Dr. Sawyer agreed. "I think you could use a little rest. Once we administer the Pitocin things will most likely move rather quickly and then you will have pushing to do. The more rested you are, the easier the pushing will be."

"I think some rest sounds good," Mac finally agreed after thinking it all through for a moment. The doctor nodded her head in agreement and excused herself from the room promising to check back with them in half an hour.

"Do you want me to tell Bud and Harriet to come back later?" Harm asked concerned when she said she wanted to rest.

"No, actually, I'd like to talk to Harriet for awhile," Mac told him honestly. "I think it will help to talk to another mother who's already gone through this four times."

Harm smiled at her and the fact that she was admitting to being unsure about everything. He leaned closer to her and placed a soft kiss on her sweat soaked hair above her forehead. "You're still my Ninja-girl," he told her ever so softly. He placed one more kiss on her lips this time and stood up and turned to the door.

"Harm," Mac spoke up stopping him in his tracks as he turned back to her raising his eyebrows in a question. "I love you," she spoke so softly he almost didn't hear her.

"I love you, too," he smiled at her again and turned back to let Bud and Harriet back in the room.


	2. The Waiting Game

**A/N: Here's chapter 2 finally. Sorry about the wait. It's been one of those weeks, and my muse went on vacation because of it. I hope you enjoy the story, and please don't kill me when you're done reading.**

* * *

As the storm continued to build outside, inside the hospital was still fairly calm despite the disaster preparations going on throughout the halls. The next half hour seemed to pass quickly for Mac as she no longer felt any contractions or any pain. For that, she was truly thankful. She and Harriet spent the time talking and discussing the children that the Roberts had and then the child that Mac and Harm would soon have in their arms. Harriet gave her lots of advice about caring for their new infant the first few days and how to balance feedings and sleep. Harm and Bud continued to sit on the other side of the room discussing much of the same thing, balancing a baby, sleep and taking care of his wife. Bud was a wealth of information, and despite his initial discomfort with giving advice about parenthood to a superior officer, he gave Harm lots of good tips about being a first time dad and how to juggle all of it. Harm was truly grateful for Bud's advice as his own parents were too far away at the moment to get advice from them. Even then, his mom would really only be able to give her perspective and his dad was dead and Frank wasn't even in the picture then. He could have talked to AJ about it, but he wasn't really around when Francesca was little, and there was no way he felt comfortable enough to discuss these things with General Cresswell. Bud was his only source of information and advice.

Shortly before the half hour was up a knock came at the door, and the door was pushed open once Mac and Harm had granted their vocal permission to enter. Amy stepped through and looked toward Mac and then Harm with a question in her eyes. "There are two young ladies out here who insist they are your daughters and would like to come in," she explained to the group. She was a little unsure as the two girls looked nothing like Harm and Mac but she was not one to judge as she knew many kids were adopted.

Harm and Mac smiled at each other. "Mattie and Chloe," they voiced together.

"If they really are yours, its okay, but normally we don't allow anyone under 14 back into the L&D rooms unless they are immediate family," Amy explained her trepidation further.

"Well, technically," Harm started to explain, "They are not our daughters, but Mattie is 17 and our ward."

"And Chloe is almost 19," Mac explained. "And she is staying with us this weekend and she is almost like our daughter."

"I guess they can come in, but not for very long," Amy finally acquiesced. "Dr. Sawyer will be in shortly to check on you." With that, she turned to leave the room and bring back the two excited girls.

Harriet and Bud stood and excused themselves promising to return later once the storm had passed to check in on them. They wanted to get home to their youngest two children who were at home with Mike who had offered to baby-sit while Bud and Harriet came to check on Mac. AJ and Jimmy were spending a weekend with their grandparents in Florida of which Harriett was very appreciative. She wanted to be able to be with Mac as much as possible this weekend once the baby arrived. Four kids at home underfoot would have greatly hampered that ability.

In less than a minute, Mattie and Chloe were peeking around the corner of the door looking for permission to enter. "Come in you two," Mac laughed seeing their eyes peering around the room. "You two are very sneaky and underhanded," she chastised them trying to keep a straight face but not succeeding as she broke out into a smile at their antics.

Harm walked over to them and placed one arm around each girl's shoulders. "So, are you two trying to make trouble for us or something?" he asked teasing them lightly.

"Something like that," Mattie spoke up teasing back.

"We just wanted to see our little brother or sister being born," Chloe defended their actions.

"By the way, what are we getting?" Mattie asked, "A brother or a sister?"

Mac just smiled and shook her head as Harm answered for them. "We're not telling anyone until he or she gets here."

"Do you even know?" Chloe asked still trying to get an answer out of them.

"Yeah, we know," Mac admitted with a wink in Harm's direction, "we're just not telling anyone until the baby is born."

"Not even my parents know yet," Harm admitted to the girls. "They get to find out when everyone else does."

"And you two call us sneaky and underhanded," Mattie accused them with a teasing glint in her eye.

Harm proceeded to pull up the chair from the other side of the room so the girls could sit down and talk to Mac. As they sat and talked to her, Harm returned to his position at the head of Mac's bed and rested slightly on the edge as he grabbed her hand in his again.

The visit with the girls was animated and full of laughs. It was also short-lived as the doctor knocked on the door a mere 10 minutes after the girls' arrival.

"They can stay if they want," Mac assured Dr. Sawyer when she questioned about the girls presence during the check. Both girls chose to move closer to Mac's head while the doctor did her check and they directed anymore of their conversation at Harm until the doctor was done. "So what's the verdict?" Mac asked once the doctor had completed her examination and was washing her hands.

"Well, the baby seems to be progressing slowly. There's a little bit of progress, but not enough to make me happy," the doctor told them. "I would like to go ahead and administer Pitocin and move this little one along. Once that's done, though, I will ask everyone to leave the room except for your husband. The fewer people in here for the birth, the easier it is for us to do what we need to do for the baby."

"We understand," Mattie spoke up for the girls. "We can go ahead and wait outside, as long as we can come back as soon as he or she arrives."

Dr. Sawyer smiled at the girls' enthusiasm and nodded her agreement to their stipulations. "As long as the baby has no immediate issues, once cleanup is complete, you girls can come back in. In fact, we'll let your dad come and get you and tell you the news once the baby is here."

Both girls shined and smiled at Harm being referred to as their dad. Although he was father to neither one, they both considered him as much their dad as their own fathers. Chloe's dad was great but he was at sea a lot and she spent most of her time with her grandparents who were also great, but they weren't the same as a dad. Mattie's dad was pretty much absent since her accident and so she had taken to calling Harm and Mac dad and mom much of the time. At the moment they both had custody of her and were in the process of attempting to adopt her. This was new territory for all of them, but they were enjoying the ride together. They all knew that bringing a new baby into all of this would bring lots of changes and sacrifices, but it was something they were more than willing to do.

Fifteen minutes later, Mac found herself hooked up to an IV of Pitocin and waiting for the drug to take effect and speed up her labor. She was anxious to meet the little one who had been inside of her for the last nine months. She knew Harm felt the same way by the way he had nearly hovered the last few months watching every morsel she ate and worrying every time she went anywhere. In many ways his hovering was nearly driving her to distraction, but she knew he only did it because he loved her and their baby. So for the time being, she allowed him to hover and worry.

Another half hour or so later, the doctor came in again and checked her progress. She seemed please with how the labor was progressing and told Harm and Mac so as she washed her hands. "I like what I'm seeing so far. The baby seems to be headed in the right direction now and should be making an appearance in the next half hour or so. Are you just about ready to do some pushing?" she asked.

"Do I have the option of saying no?" Mac asked with a tired grin. At least her sense of humor hadn't left her in all of this.

"I think we're beyond that point," Harm pointed out as the doctor just smiled at them and shook her head in response to Mac's question. "Dr. Sawyer, I was wondering if you think the storm causing Mac's water to break early is going to be a problem with the baby?"

"I don't think there should be any problems even though we are a few weeks early. She's past the 36 week mark, so the baby's lungs should be developed," she explained. "Part of the reason I want you to try and have this baby vaginally, though, is to help squeeze out any fluid that might be in the baby's lungs. I will only do a caesarean if there is some danger to you or the baby."

"What kind of danger?" Harm asked suddenly nervous.

"If there are changes in fetal heart rate or changes in Sarah's heart rate, I would do a c-section to avoid any unnecessary problems," she explained trying to allay his sudden fears. "As of right now, though, I don't see any problems with that. Both mom's and baby's heart rate are strong and steady. There are no blips on any monitors which are exactly what we've been looking for. I see no reason to try anything other than a vaginal birth. So, in just a few short minutes, I'll bring Amy back in along with a pediatric nurse, and we'll get to work on that pushing. Does that sound okay with you, Sarah?" she finally asked.

"I just want to see this baby," Mac finally agreed. "I'm ready to do whatever it takes."

"That's my Marine," Harm proudly leaned over and brushed a kiss to her temple.

"Alright, then, I'm going to go put on some scrubs and let Amy and the pediatric nurse know of our plan. I should be back in about ten minutes, and we'll have this baby here shortly," Dr. Sawyer said leaving them to go get ready.

Harm and Mac spent the next few minutes trying to calm their nerves as the storm built outside. They weren't completely aware of what was going on outside the door to their room or even outside the hospital, but they weren't completely unaware of the storm either. Harm walked over to the window just to take a peek and see what was happening. All he saw were gray clouds and trees bending in the wind. The rain had yet to make an appearance, but he could tell by the slant of the clouds in the distance that it wasn't far off. He silently prayed that their friends had already made it home to their family, and the family in the hospital would be safe from any danger.

Across the room, Mac could tell his nerves were starting to get the best of him. "It's going to be okay," she said quietly into the silence.

Startled out of his reverie, he turned and smiled at her. "I know," he agreed. "I was just saying a prayer for Bud and Harriet to get home safely. The storm is starting to look pretty bad."

"I'm glad we're in here then," Mac joked trying to lighten the mood some.

"Me too," he agreed returning to her bedside and picking up her hand again. He softly stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "You know, I'm excited about this. I'm still a little nervous, but I'm really excited about holding our baby in my arms," he admitted quietly. He wasn't sure why he said it, but it was something he felt he needed to say aloud almost as an assurance to himself about his own feelings.

Sensing he needed her validation of his emotions, she quietly nodded her head and smiled up at him. "I can't wait either. I'm a little nervous too. We've never had a baby all on our own. Babysitting is one thing, but this is something completely different. We can't give the baby back at the end of the evening or at the end of the weekend. This one is ours for keeps."

Harm was prevented from saying anything more as the door swung open and Dr. Sawyer returned with Amy and another nurse in tow. "This is Lisa," she introduced them. "She is a neo-natal nurse who will take care of cleaning up the baby and doing all the measurements immediately after delivery. If there are no issues, she will allow you to hold the baby before heading to the nursery for official measurements." As she spoke, Dr. Sawyer had carefully laid out a tray of instruments to be used during the birth. Amy had begun to make changes to the bed Mac was laying in by adding leg stirrups and removing the bottom quarter of the bed to allow the doctor easier access.

Harm watched all of this in wonder and realized he was glad that Mattie and Chloe were outside in the waiting room. There was no way they were ready to see all of this. He wasn't even sure he was ready to see all of the changes they were making. Amy explained about the leg stirrups and had Harm assist her in placing Mac's legs carefully in them to change the position of her body. A few moments later and Dr. Sawyer declared they were all set to deliver the baby.

The next time a contraction hit, Dr. Sawyer had Mac bear down and push to see what the reaction of the baby would be. "Everything looks good," she told them as she looked over all the readouts quickly. "The baby's head is just about there, so for the next few contractions we're going to push and get this baby out," she continued coaching them along.

Harm stood by Mac's head holding her hand and allowing her to squeeze as tightly as she needed over the next few pushes. He split his time between watching her face and glancing down to see the progress of the baby. He couldn't really tell anything for sure, but he listened carefully to what the doctor said and took it all in as a first time father to be.

"Okay, the head's out," the doctor told them once the current contraction had passed. "On the next one, you're going to give one good hard push and we're gong to have the shoulders and then the rest of the baby should slide out." As she finished speaking, the next contraction hit, Mac began to push, and all hell seemed to break loose.


	3. The Calm After the Storm

**Please forgive me for the delay in posting this. Real life really got in the way. Now it is complete, though, so I hope you enjoy. Thank you for being patient and for all those who reviewed this little story. Your words meant so much to me. I'm sorry if I never responded to your review as I did try to get to everyone. Thank you again. Well, on with the show, and I hope you enjoy.**

Hours later when his heart had slowed down and the adrenaline had stopped pumping, Harm thought that maybe one day he would be able to look back on this day and at least smile, but he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to laugh about it. Well, maybe when he was eighty something and couldn't remember it all as well as he did right then, maybe then he would chuckle about it.

As he held a small bundle in his arms and watched his wife sleep peacefully, he raised his eyes and a simple prayer upward thanking whatever God was above him for their safety. He sat there quietly rocking the small one he held tightly, looking over the tiny features of his little miracle. That's exactly what this baby was, a miracle. The doctors had given them little to no chance of ever conceiving their own child, but they continued to defy the odds. And here he was, holding his own little baby, his and Mac's, that is. He knew he couldn't have done any of this without her. He knew he wouldn't have wanted to have a child with anyone else.

As his thoughts drifted to Mac, he glanced up at her still sleeping form and noticed the scratches along her arm and one on her face. He shook his head still in somewhat disbelief over what had transpired just a few hours earlier. As Mac had been going through the final stages of labor, the storm winds outside had picked up tremendously unbeknownst to them. The trees had been bending more and more as each gust of wind ripped through the almost wind tunnel formed by the hospital buildings. One tree in particular must have been planted just outside their hospital window. As the winds bent it closer to the ground, the unsteady roots began to be pulled from the ground.

The doctor told Mac to give one final push and as she did, she let out a yell as the tree came through the window of the room sending glass and water across the room straight toward Mac. Luckily the doctor was able to catch the baby as Harm threw his body across Mac in an attempt to protect her from the flying glass. Most of it missed them but one or two smaller pieces found their way to Mac's arm and cheek. Dr. Sawyer had managed to keep the baby safe wrapped in blankets and then handed off to the nurse, Lisa, so she could finish tending to Mac who was bleeding in more than one place. Amy managed to call out to get some more nurses to help in cleaning up the mess and Mac. Lisa chose to remove the baby from the situation and head to the nursery once she told Harm and Mac where she was going promising to come back as soon as everything was okay and Mac had been moved to another room.

Luckily none of the cuts had been anything more than superficial, so no stitches were required. As soon as Dr. Sawyer had removed the placenta and completed the cleanup, she ordered the nurses to "find a drier, cleaner, glass-free room for Mrs. Rabb." Amy had already started that process and within ten minutes had Mac ready to go down the hall. Harm had collected all their bags and hurriedly followed Amy and another nurse down the hall not wanting to be away from Mac for a moment longer than necessary. He was concerned about the baby, but his main objective was to have Mac safe so she would be able to see their bundle of joy. They ended up having to wait another thirty minutes for Lisa to bring the baby back to them as she wanted to complete all the measurements and tests while she was in the nursery with the baby.

Finally almost an hour after their baby was born; they were holding a small pink faced thing. Mac cried tears of joy as soon as Lisa wheeled the bassinette through the door. Harm was close enough to his own tears but managed to fight them back not wanting to seem overly emotional in front of the ladies. Lisa carefully picked the baby up out of the bassinette and showed Harm how best to hold and handle the infant. He was nervous about holding his baby for the first time but tried to seem confident in front of Lisa. He carefully carried the small one over to Mac and placed it in her waiting arms.

"I didn't even get to check for fingers and toes," she chuckled as she took the baby carefully from Harm.

"They're all there," Lisa reassured them. "Ten fingers, ten toes, and no problems with the Apgar test. If you have any problems or notice any breathing problems, please make sure you page the nurse, and I'll come right back. I'll be back in a couple of hours to check on you if you don't need anything else. Enjoy your little miracle," she said as she exited the room.

Mac barely heard her as she sat up in her bed and laid her baby in front of her on the bed. She carefully began to unwrap the blankets swaddling the infant needing to see for herself that the baby was perfect just as the nurse had said. She breathed a sigh of relief as she counted fingers and toes and saw everything was perfect. She quickly swaddled the infant and sat back with the baby close to her breast. As she looked down, she noticed small blue eyes peering up at her watching her face intently.

"What about the hair?" Harm suddenly asked quietly as he hadn't seen the color as the nurse had placed a cap on the baby's head for warmth.

Mac removed the cap carefully and smiled. "Beautiful, dark, and full," she murmured calmly with a smile. She leaned her own head down to place a kiss on the infant's hair before sniffing and drinking in that delicate newborn smell. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced before, holding and smelling her own little child. The feelings welling up inside her almost seemed to take over her body as tears formed in her eyes.

"Hey, what are those about?" Harm asked gently as he sat beside her on the bed noticing the tears.

"I'm just so happy. I never thought this day would come," she spoke almost in a whisper looking up at him with a watery smile.

"I know me too," he admitted returning her smile. "So, this little one needs a name."

Harm was brought out of his reverie as a quiet knock sounded at the door. "Come in," he called quietly to whoever waited outside before glancing in Mac's direction as she stirred at the noise.

A moment later the door pushed open quietly and Mattie and Chloe stepped through grinning from ear to ear. "Hey, Dad," Mattie whispered first. "Is it okay if come in?"

"Come on in, girls," Mac spoke from the bed as she pushed herself up to a sitting position. She smiled at the girls as they almost tiptoed in not wanting to disturb anyone. As they came further in the room, Harm stood from the rocking chair and joined Mac on the bed where he returned the infant to her waiting arms.

"So, this is our new sibling?" Chloe finally asked. "What'd we get?"

"Yeah, what'd we get?" Mattie echoed her question, "A brother or a sister?"

"Girls," Mac started to reply, "meet your new little sister, Kenzie Rose Rabb."

"Ohh, she's beautiful," Mattie sighed looking down at her sister. "Can I hold her?" she asked holding out her arms.

"Of course," Mac responded handing her over carefully. "Make sure you support her head and neck," she warned as Mattie gently took her and cradled her sister in her arms.

"Hi, I'm your sister, Matilda," she began to coo over her, "but you can call me Mattie. In fact, you better, because only Dad calls me Matilda when I'm in trouble," she smiled up at Harm innocently. Harm smiled back at trying not laugh at her antics.

Chloe tried to peer over Mattie's shoulder to get a look at the small infant. "Hey, don't hog her. I want to hold her too," she reminded Mattie.

Mattie turned slightly toward Chloe so she could get a better look at their sister. "Of course you can hold her," she agreed, "as soon as I'm done."

Chloe pouted at the statement and then smiled as Kenzie seemed to be watching the two interact. "Hey, she's looking at us."

"That's right, girls," Harm spoke up. "Kenzie will be looking up to you two, so you better set a good example for her," he warned playfully. Watching his girls interact, he leaned back on Mac's bed and placed an arm around her shoulder. "Happy, Mrs. Rabb?" he whispered in her ear as he leaned over to kiss her gently on the head.

"I've never been happier, Mr. Rabb," she responded looking up at him with a serene smile on her lips. "I have everything I ever dreamed of, a good job, a good man, lots of comfortable shoes, and now…" she trailed off as Harm leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on her lips.

"A new birthday to celebrate in our family," he finished for her as he pulled back and turned to watch their growing family. "I think I'm going to be outnumbered for awhile," he said motioning at all the girls in the room.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so," Mac agreed smiling and nodding her head as she watched Mattie finally give up her little sister to Chloe.

"So, when can we start trying for a boy?" Harm asked with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

Mac reached over to swat at him and stopped as she saw the gleam. Smiling she responded with a kiss to his lips. "In about six weeks, according to the doctor," she smiled with her own mischievous gleam.

Harm's only response was to wrap his arms tightly around his wife and pull her closer to him as he sighed deeply and contentedly. He could live with what he had right there in that room, his beautiful, amazing, wonderful girls. This was more than he ever dreamed he'd have, and he knew Mac felt the same way.


End file.
